


First of Many

by yarnandtea



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Contemporary AU, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-21
Updated: 2014-09-21
Packaged: 2018-02-18 05:09:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2336429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yarnandtea/pseuds/yarnandtea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bethany isn't really a fan of blind dates, but she's glad she made an exception for Isabela.</p>
            </blockquote>





	First of Many

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Ice Cream](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/74471) by fragilespark. 



> Written for the 2014 Dragon Age Reverse Big Bang, inspired by fragilespark's absolutely lovely art. 
> 
> Huge thanks to my always wonderful beta ladyamesindy, and to the lovely Big Bang mods. I had a blast working on this one.

Bethany was nervous. _Really_ nervous, and she couldn’t say why. It wasn’t like this was her first date, after all. It wasn’t even her first blind date. But something about this one had her stomach tied up in knots.

Maybe it was the setting. She wasn’t really sure what to expect. She hadn’t been to a fair since she’d been, oh, what? Eight? Maybe nine? So at least ten years gone. A small smile played across her lips and she relaxed a bit, remembering how Carver had demanded they ride every ride, and then how miserable he’d been afterwards, because he’d _also_ had to try all of the treats on offer. He hadn’t been sick, but it had been a near miss, and after that he declared that fairs were for babies and refused to go back the next year. Bethany could have gone without him, of course. Father would have taken her, or maybe Marian. But where would the fun have been in it, without Carver? She supposed she was about to find out.

She sighed and slipped her phone out of her pocket, checking the time. Twelve-oh-five. No missed texts or messages. She supposed her date wasn’t really late. Varric had said “noonish” and not “noon.” Bethany bit her lip and leaned against the fence surrounding the fairgrounds. Varric. _That_ was why she was nervous, she realized. It was probably a bad idea to let her boss set her up on a blind date, but he seemed so genuinely certain that his friend would make a good match for her.

“She’s great, Sunshine,” he’d drawled. “Nothing like those last two stuffed shirts you brought around the shop.”

“If she’s nothing like the kind of girls I’ve dated,” Bethany had retorted, eyebrow arched, “what on Earth makes you think I’d get on with her?”

Varric had given her a level look and arched an eyebrow right back. “How well did those last girls work out for you?”

“Not...well.” Bethany conceded. At all.

“Right.” He gave her a cheeky grin. “Trust me on this one, kid, okay? Rivaini’ll be a nice change of pace for you. She’s fun. You’re a hard worker and a good student, but it seems to me you don’t give yourself much opportunity for fun lately. So give her one date, see how it goes, yeah?”

She hadn’t been able to think of a convincing counter argument, even for herself, and so here she was at the fair waiting for Varric’s “fun” friend. She resisted the urge to check her phone again, instead letting herself get lost in watching the people streaming through the gates. Mostly families with children, she noted, but after a while she realized there were a lot of couples in the mix. Teenagers, kids her age, and even a few older pairs. It had never occurred to her that a fair could be a viable date option, but thinking it over, she could see the appeal. Another smile played across her face. Fun, Varric had said. Perhaps he had been right about that.

“Oh, you must be Bethany,” a voice purred, pulling Bethany from her reverie. “Varric did _not_ do you justice.”

Blushing, she drew a deep breath and turned to meet her date, “Isabela? Hello.” Her eyes widened as she took in the woman before her. Dark skin and dark hair, and large golden eyes that Bethany could already feel herself getting lost in. Isabela was dressed simply, in a white tank top and white shorts, with strappy brown sandals that laced all the way up to her thighs. Bethany swallowed and yanked her eyes back up to Isabela’s face, trying not to blush further at the smirk she found there. Isabela’s hair was kept off her face with a blue bandana, and the only other adornments she wore were two gold studs in her ears and a matching one nestled beneath her lower lip. She was stunning. Clearing her throat, Bethany murmured, “He seems to have downplayed you a bit as well.”

Isabela threw her head back in a deep laugh and then reached for Bethany, linking their arms together and turning her towards the gates. “That’s our Varric, always trying to go for the most dramatic reveal.” Bethany let out a small laugh in agreement. She reached for her wallet when they got to the ticket booth, but Isabela pushed her hand back down. “Oh no, Sweetness, this is my treat. The fair was my idea after all.” She winked at Bethany as she paid for their entrance and bought a roll of tickets. “Next date, you can choose where we go, and you can pick up the tab, hmm?”

“You’ve already decided there’s going to be a next date, then?” Bethany couldn’t help but grin at her.

Isabela winked again. “I like to think positively.” She grinned and tugged on Bethany’s arm, pulling her deeper into the fair. “Now, come on, let’s go have some fun!”

They wandered the fair, and Bethany was impressed with how at home Isabela seemed. She steered them from ride to ride with precision, knowing all of the shortcuts and avoiding most of the crowds. As they walked, they talked in bits and snatches, but it wasn’t until they were on the ferris wheel that they got to have an actual conversation.

“So, you work at Varric’s bookshop, then?”

“Mmhmm,” Bethany replied, leaning back against the bench as the wheel moved up to allow the next riders to get on. “I was lucky to find the job last year. Not many employers will let you study while you’re working.”

“Oh, that’s right, he said you’re still in school.” She rested her arm along the back of the bench and turned to face Bethany. “What do you study? Are you a writer, too?”

“Goodness, no!” Bethany laughed and shook her head. “I love to read, but writing is not really my area of expertise. I’m studying chemistry.”

“Oh, I _like_ chemistry,” Isabela said, her voice dropping into that purr again. She shifted just a bit closer and Bethany’s heart sped up.

For a moment, she thought Isabela might lean in and kiss her, but the other woman seemed content to just sit together and watch the fair get smaller as they ascended. Bethany glanced at her profile and swallowed. Varric was right that Isabela was nothing like the last few girls she’d dated, and she found herself hoping he was right that it might mean they’d have a better chance to hit it off. She realized she rather liked Isabela, and she certainly liked how she felt being here with her. She tried to shake her thoughts, not wanting to get her hopes up too soon. “So, how do you know Varric, then? Are you a writer also?”

“Sort of,” Isabela laughed. “I do write, but I’m not published like he is. We met through fandom. We ended up in the same guild in Warcraft, then both got bored of it at the same time and decided to try Old Republic together. Sometimes we collaborate on fic.” She shot Bethany a mischievous grin. “Varric is fun to write smut with.”

“Oh!” Bethany returned Isabela’s smile. She hadn’t even known Varric played video games. Or that he wrote fic. She wondered if she could wheedle his pseudonym out of Isabela before the date was over. “My brother plays that one, Old Republic, I mean. He really seems to like it.”

“And you?”

“Oh, I have never really been able to get far into it,” she admitted. “I never can seem to fit it into my school schedule. Though I do have that one. I’ve tried to play with Carver occasionally, but it’s hard to find a time we can both be online.” Isabela was nodding and Bethany felt a strange sense of relief. Trying to keep the conversation going, she added, “I like the Portal series though. Both of those games are short, I’ve played them a few times.”

“Portal’s good,” Isabela agreed with another smile.

They spent the rest of the ferris wheel ride chatting about games, and Isabela asked about Carver. “So that’s your brother then? Older or younger?”

“Older,” Bethany smiled, adding, “but only by about three minutes.”

“Oh, you’re twins!”

“Mmhmm.” Bethany nodded.

“Is he in school with you, then? But no,” she was already shaking her head, “you said you have a hard time getting your schedules to line up.”

“He joined the army after high school,” Bethany confirmed. She sighed. “I think he didn’t want to burden Mother with two sets of college tuition at once, even though I got a decent scholarship. He could have probably gotten one too, for swimming. But once he gets an idea in his head...” She sighed again.

Isabela shot her a sympathetic look, then smiled. “Stubborn one, eh?”

“You have no idea,” Bethany laughed. “I miss him, but I think he’s happy doing what he’s doing.”

The ferris wheel halted and Bethany realized they were at the top of it. She caught her breath as she glanced around. “Goodness, we can see the entire town from up here!”

A cool breeze came along, lifting her hair from her face, and she shivered. Isabela slid closer, tightening her arm around Bethany’s shoulder in a half hug and Bethany smiled at her. “I think the ferris wheel is my favorite part of the fair,” Isabela confided. “With the wind in our hair and the clear view of the horizon, it’s almost like being on a boat.”

“Is it? Do you know, I don’t think I’ve actually ever been on one.” She didn’t know whether to laugh or apologize at Isabela’s horrified expression.

“Well that’s no good!” Isabela declared. She squeezed Bethany in another hug. “The next date that I get to pick, I’ll take you sailing. You’ll love it!”

“That sounds wonderful,” Bethany murmured, smiling to herself. They were up to three dates already now, it seemed. She couldn’t think of any objections. A fair and sailing, though? Isabela seemed to be one for adventures. She wondered what she might suggest for their second date that would interest the other woman.

The ferris wheel began its descent and they talked a bit more. Isabela told Bethany about her boat, which from the sound of things, was also where she lived. Varric certainly knew some interesting people. She asked an occasional question when her curiosity got the better of her, but mostly she was content to listen. Isabela’s enthusiasm was endearing.

As they were exiting the ride, Bethany offered her hand to Isabela to help her down from the bench. She was delighted when Isabela did not let go once she was on the ground, instead linking their fingers together and tugging Bethany on to the next attraction. They’d already done most of the rides, so they turned their attention to the games, wandering through the stalls and trying to decide which seemed like the most fun. Bethany hoped there was skee-ball.

“Ooh, darts! I love darts! Shall I win you a prize, Sweetness? Maybe that stuffed dragon?”

Bethany laughed as Isabela slid to a halt in front of the booth, eyeing the prizes with delight. She was already handing over tickets to the worker, receiving three darts in exchange.

“By all means,” she said, “play darts if you want. I won’t hold you to the dragon, though. These games are impossible to win.”

“Nonsense!” Isabela said with a wink. “You’ve just got to know what you’re doing.” The booth worker snorted and leaned back to watch Isabela throw. Clearly he was expecting her to fail spectacularly. His smug grin faded as Isabela proceeded to throw her darts, each one popping a brightly colored balloon on the game board. Bethany had a hard time stifling her laugh as Isabela turned a cheeky grin to him.

“Well done,” he managed in a weak voice. “Er, that earns you a small prize. Or a free try for a bigger one.”

“I’ll take the try for the bigger one,” Isabela said.

“Right.” He retrieved the darts and handed them back over. He and Bethany watched in awe as she repeated the trick. Bethany had to resist the urge to clap, not helped by the wink that Isabela threw at her over her shoulder. The worker cleared his throat and said, “All right. That’s a medium prize, or--”

“Once more, I think,” Isabela purred. “I promised my lovely date a dragon.”

Five minutes later they walked away from the booth, Bethany clutching the large stuffed dragon, and the worker staring after them with a gobsmacked expression. Bethany managed to wait until they had turned a corner before dissolving in a fit of giggles. “That was magnificent, Isabela! How on Earth did you do it? I thought they always rigged the games so no one could win.” She distinctly remembered her father trying to explain that to her and Carver on more than one occasion.

“Oh, they do,” Isabela agreed. “But like I said, you’ve just got to know what you’re doing. I happen to be the reigning darts champion at my pub. I know how to compensate for their little tricks.”

“Gaming, writing, sailing, darts. What else can you do, I wonder?”

Isabela preened a little and shot her a suggestive look. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Oh yes,” Bethany breathed. She turned red the instant the words were out of her mouth. Isabela arched an eyebrow, a slow smile spreading across her lips. Bethany swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Reaching out, she linked her fingers through Isabela’s and tugged her in close. “I should like to know everything about you, I think,” she whispered.

Isabela let out a soft laugh and leaned forward, pressing her forehead to Bethany’s. “Is that so, Sweetness?” She squeezed her hand and then leaned back enough to press a soft kiss to Bethany’s lips. She pulled back and let go of Bethany’s hand, reaching up to cup her cheek. Her expression turned serious as she stroked Bethany’s cheek with her thumb. “We’ll have to see what we can do about that, hmm?”

She let go of Bethany and took a step back. In an instant, her playful demeanor returned and her eyes lit up as they fell on a stall across the walkway. “Oh, look, ice cream! Shall we?”

Before Bethany had a chance to think about the kiss, she found herself with an ice cream cone in her hand, and Isabela was pulling her over to the shade of a large tree in the corner of the fairgrounds. There were picnic tables set up around it, and none of them were occupied at the moment, but Isabela opted to sit up against the trunk of the tree, she and Bethany using a couple of large roots as benches.

Bethany licked at her ice cream, closing her eyes to savor the simple, sweet flavor. A satisfied sound from beside her had opening them again, to find Isabela watching her with a soft smile. It was only then that she realized Isabela did not have her own cone. “Where’s yours?” she asked, gesturing with her ice cream.

“I thought we could share,” Isabela said. “If that’s all right with you.”

 

([Ice Cream by fragilespark](http://fragilespark.tumblr.com/post/98021455938/my-entry-for-the-dragon-age-reverse-flash-bang))

 

Bethany nodded without hesitation and held the cone out to Isabela. Given the playful nature she’d shown so far, Bethany would have expected some suggestive comment or tone or gesture to follow the idea of sharing the ice cream. But Isabela seemed content to take a taste of her own and pass it back. Bethany smiled and relaxed against the tree, and she and Isabela made quick work of the ice cream. They ate mostly in silence, just enjoying a moment to sit and rest after all of the running around they’d been doing.

Once the treat was finished, they stayed under the tree for a few minutes, watching the crowd go by. A bell tolled in the distance (there was a church a few blocks from the fairgrounds, Bethany remembered), and she gave a start to realize it was already six o’clock. “Goodness! The afternoon has just flown by, hasn’t it?”

Isabela laughed and caught up her hand, entwining their fingers again. “Mmhmm,” she agreed. She brought Bethany’s hand up to her mouth and kissed the tip of each finger. “Are you ready to call it a day?” There was a hint of challenge in her voice. Bethany glanced over to meet her eyes and saw a glint of mischief in them. She smiled.

“Not unless you are.”

“I could stay out here with you all day, Sweetness,” she said with a wink. She tugged on Bethany’s hand, pulling her closer. Bethany went willingly. “There’s a concert in a few hours. We could play a few more games, ride the ferris wheel again, get some dinner and then go do that, if you like.”

“Can we play skee ball?”

“Whatever you want to do.”

“Oh good,” Bethany breathed. “I love skee ball.” She grinned and without warning, closed the distance between them, kissing Isabela. Isabela let out a pleased chuckle and reached up with her free hand to cup the back of Bethany’s neck. She moved closer, and they lost themselves in the kiss. Bethany let out a contented sigh as she pulled back and met Isabela’s eyes. “You are so beautiful,” she whispered.

“Took the words right out of my mouth,” Isabela said with a smirk. “Come on, we’ve got a game to find.” She stood up and brushed off her shorts, then offered a hand to Bethany, pulling her up as well. She leaned in to steal another quick kiss and then they were off again, Bethany laughing in delight as she trailed in Isabela’s wake.

Bethany was the one to win the prize this time--a toy shark that Isabela accepted with glee. It wasn’t as large as the dragon, but it wasn’t dinky, either, and she couldn’t help but be a little proud of herself. They played the game for a while, rode the ferris wheel again (stealing quite a few kisses this time around), and then went in search of dinner. Isabela had an adventurous palate, wanting to try all of the various fried-things-that-probably-shouldn’t-be on offer. Bethany opted for the more traditional fair meal of a corndog and a basket of fries. She also got a fruit cup, though, just to counter the junk food. Isabela stole most of her strawberries, but she didn’t mind.

The sun was starting to make its way down the horizon as they found their way to the amphitheater for the concert. There were no seats, just a large patch of grass in front of the stage. Bethany was surprised when Isabela suggested they stay in the back, but she soon found out why. Isabela remained standing for the whole show, dancing to every song. Bethany was sure it had been a perfectly lovely concert, but she honestly couldn’t have said who was performing or what they had played. All of her focus was captured by Isabela early on, the sight of her moving to the music one that she knew would stay with her for a long while. Beautiful, she’d called her, but she was beginning to think “goddess” might be a better word.

Of course, Isabela wasn’t content to dance alone. She pulled Bethany close any time the rhythm slowed down, then spun her around encouraged her to keep dancing whenever it sped up again. Bethany didn’t think she’d ever danced so much in her life. Now she thought she might never stop. Watching Isabela dance, dancing _with_ her, was a thrill like Bethany had never experienced before. She wanted to feel it again. A spark of an idea came to her as the concert wrapped up. She could pick the next date, Isabela had said. There was a restaurant her friend Merrill worked at, with a large dance floor. They had a band play almost every night. Yes, she thought, that might be the perfect place for their next adventure.

They stayed for the fireworks after the concert had ended, arms wrapped around each other as they stood in the grass, watching the sky explode into brilliance. There were more kisses exchanged, and hands wandered a bit. Bethany wanted nothing so much as to get Isabela someplace private, where they could explore more without worrying about other people present. But they were already heading towards the fairground exit, and she knew she should get home. There was class tomorrow, after all, and work. Besides, it would give her something to look forward to.

“Can I take you out to dinner this week?” she asked after they exchanged one last kiss in the parking lot.

“I’m free tomorrow,” Isabela purred.

“I work until seven, but after that I’m all yours.” Bethany smiled at her. She would have to check the restaurant’s schedule, but even if the band wasn’t playing tomorrow, she’d make it work.

“I’ll pick you up at the store.”

“See you there, then.” Bethany started to turn away, but then turned back and gave Isabela a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for today,” she said. “It’s the best date I’ve been on in ages.”

“Just the first of many, Sweetness,” Isabela said with a wink. “Let’s see if we can't top it tomorrow, hmm?”

“You’re on,” Bethany declared with a laugh. One more hug and kiss, and then she pried herself away, turning for her car. Varric was going to be insufferable in his smugness when Isabela picked her up, but she thought it might well be worth it. She hummed to herself as she drove home, already trying to decide on her best dress for dancing.


End file.
